Los Angeles launching its 1st "Bicycle Friendly Business District"

TreeHugger has published a few articles about how bicycling boosts business. It seems that policymakers in Los Angeles have been following this story as well. They've developed a "Bicycle Friendly Business District (BFBD)" program there, which is aimed at bringing more bicyclists to commercial corridors. The first BFBD will be in Northeast Los Angeles.

So, how will the BFBD program bring more bicyclists to these commercial corridors? Through commonsense bicycle infrastructure and attractions.

Northeast Los Angeles is the pilot district. Implementation across other parts of the city is planned for 2015–2016. Northeast LA was chosen as the first Bicycle Friendly Business District due to having relatively good bicycle infrastructure to start with and numerous commercially zoned corridors. Local businesses have already signed up for care-taking of bicycle corrals and bicycle repair stations, Gallardo notes.

For the pilot, the LADOT Bike Program has partnered with Occidental College Urban and Environmental Policy Institute and C.I.C.L.E. to bring together community partners into a consortium that will envision and pursue amenities and events that will make Northeast LA neighborhoods more friendly to bikes through both infrastructure, business, and cultural offerings.

You can learn more about the LADOT Bicycle Friendly Business District program in this slideshare: